BJP to lay siege to Vidhan Bhavan on 11th December

NAGPUR: State BJP president Sudhir Mugantiwar announced here on Wednesday that his party would mobilize a public agitation and lay siege to the state legislature (Vidhan Bhavan) building on December 11 to protest over issues including low rates paid to cotton, paddy and soyabean growers, FDI in retail, price-rise, corruption, high prices of electricity and rationing of subsidized LPG cylinders.

The winter session of state legislature is beginning here on December 10 and on the second day itself, the BJP is planning a massive gherao of Vidhan Bhavan. "We will surround it from all sides blockading all entry points. Because of ill-governance by the Congress-led government in the state and the Centre, common man is finding it difficult to survive. There are so many issues that need attention but the government is not sensitive to them," said Mugantiwar at a press conference.

Earlier in the day, he addressed some 11,000 party workers from six districts of eastern Vidarbha at conference held at Reshimbagh hall. The BJP is demanding higher support price for cotton, paddy and soyabean, the three main crops of this region. The current MSP of cotton is Rs 3900, of paddy Rs 1250 and soyabean around Rs 3000 per quintal but the BJP wants it raised to Rs 6000, Rs 2500 and Rs 4000 a quintal respectively.

"To press this demand we will hold farmers' protests in front of all tehsil offices on December 3," the state BJP president said. The Dec 11 siege to Vidhan Bhavan will be led by BJP national president Nitin Gadkari (he is also an MLC), deputy leader in Lok SabhaGopinath Munde, Mugantiwar, Vinod Tawade, Eknath Khadse, Pandurang Fundkar and Devendra Fadnavis, he said adding that thousands of party workers and people suffering from the government's wrong policies would participate.

About the alleged irrigation scam in state, he said if the state failed to come out with the promised 'white paper', the BJP would release its own 'black paper' to "expose the government and the politician-contractor- bureaucracy nexus that had allegedly led to "loot" of Rs 76,000 crore."

About the procurement rates for cotton, paddy and soyabean, he said the state government should compensate the farmers by paying over and above the MSP fixed by the Centre. "States like Punjab and Madhya Pradesh do it in case of wheat farmers, Maharashtra can do it for cotton and paddy growers. More so because farmers have to live with poor yields because the state government failed to create irrigation facilities as funds went into pockets of ruling politicians, contractors and babus," said the BJP leader.

He slammed the government for failure to control electricity prices which he said were highest in the country. He also alleged that the state was in no position to fulfill promise of zero load-shedding from December. "In fact, power cuts would increase to 12 hours a day in rural areas from January," said Mugantiwar.